A man identified as Nawaz has been arrested in Karnataka for making a provocative statement suggesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence should be bombed. Police said the objectionable remarks were made in a video shared on a social media account named 'Public Servant'.
In the video, which quickly went viral, Nawaz is heard saying, &ldquo;Today, India and Pakistan are at war. Why hasn&rsquo;t Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s residence been bombed yet? When people were living peacefully, this war-like situation was created by PM Modi. His residence should be bombed first.&rdquo;
Following the incident, Bandepalya Police registered an FIR and tracked down the accused. Nawaz has been taken into custody and remanded to Bengaluru Central Jail.
In a separate case, Karnataka Police also booked a postgraduate student for allegedly criticising 'Operation Sindoor'&mdash;an Indian armed forces mission launched in response to a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 lives.
The FIR was registered by Konaje Police in Mangaluru city after a complaint was lodged. The student, Reshma N. Bariga from Belalu near Belthangady town and a student at Mangaluru University, reportedly posted poetic lines in Kannada on Instagram opposing the military action, using the hashtag #dikkaraoperationSindoora (Down with Operation Sindoor).
Police said the poem described the futility of war and claimed its outcome was "total darkness". Although Reshma deleted the initial post after backlash, she later shared another post defending her position.
Authorities booked her under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including:
<ul data-start="1901" data-end="2101">
<li class="" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-start="1901" data-end="1971">
Section 192: Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot
</li>
<li class="" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-start="1972" data-end="2028">
Section 196: Promoting enmity between different groups
</li>
<li class="" style="font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 12pt;" data-start="2029" data-end="2101">
Sections 353(1)(b) and 353(2): Statements conducing to public mischief
</li>
</ul>
Following the controversy, Reshma issued a new statement affirming her respect and love for the country.

Authorities act swiftly on provocative social media content as free speech debates reignite ahead of elections

Man Arrested in Karnataka for Viral Video Urging Attack on PM Modi’s Residence

Authorities act swiftly on provocative social media content as free speech debates reignite ahead of elections

May 13, 2025 | 17:42 IST